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Retail picks up in the West Valley

West Valley strip malls

The West Valley can boast of Arrowhead Towne Center, a traditional mall northwest of Bell Road and 75th Avenue in Glendale. Shoppers there will find department stores, restaurants and specialty shops. On the west side of Glendale, Tangers Outlets Westgate has a wide range of stores. Westgate, right across 95th Avenue from Tangers, has a whole complex of restaurants.
Other West Valley cities have shopping a little closer in for their residents. Here is a sample of some of the larger power corners and strip mall centers in the region:

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Peoria

Lake Pleasant Towne Center

Address: Happy Valley Road and Lake Pleasant Parkway.

This Peoria shopping center Peoria includes dozens of stores, restaurants and businesses for a growing part of the Northwest Valley.

The newest tenant -- Sprouts -- is set to open in the spring.

Large tenants include the Home Depot, Kohl's, Michaels, Pier 1 Imports, Ross Dress for Less and Payless ShoeSource.

Scott Neff waited for years to open an As You Wish Pottery Painting Studio in the West Valley.

A combination of steady homebuilding and noticeable signs of economic recovery convinced the owner of the six-store chain that this fall is the right time. Workers this week are plastering walls and painting to prepare for a Sept. 20 opening in Glendale's Westgate Entertainment District.

"I always wanted to be farther out west, but I wanted it to be the right (shopping) center. I want to be where the action is," Neff said. "That area was hard-hit by the recession but they have seen a lot of homebuilding, with a lot of families and schoolchildren. Those are our clients."

The pottery studio is one of four new businesses to open in Westgate over the next few months. Three restaurants — Fresh Healthy Cafe, OPA Life Greek Cafe and Crave Gourmet Waffle Sandwiches — will open in the next few months.

Disappointment, delight

West Valley residents have had their share of retail disappointments over the past decade. Two planned regional malls, Estrella Falls in Goodyear and Prasada in Surprise, are years behind schedule. But the region's power centers, those shopping centers that land big-box anchor tenants such as Target and Barnes & Noble, keep attracting new stores and restaurants.

"The growth that had started prerecession and stalled out has clearly picked back up," said David Sotolov, senior vice president of iStar Financial, which owns Westgate. "We've seen it both in retail activity, in sales increases from our (long-term) tenants, but also in our office leasing."

Cities west of Interstate 17 continue to see signs of retail life: Tanger Outlets Westgate is adding 60,000 more feet of retail space. Peoria residents will see a new upscale shopping center near the city's sports complex. Oregano's Pizza Bistro is breaking ground in Goodyear. American Furniture Warehouse will open in Glendale this month, Sprouts Farmers Market will open in Peoria in the spring and Fry's Food Storeswill open a Sun City West store on Friday.

Neff said retailers are watching the region because many of the families moving in tend to have annual incomes above $70,000. That means they should have some disposable income for extras like pottery lessons.

"Demographics is one of our key indicators," he said. "I'm not saying it's a Scottsdale or a Chandler, but it's a solid enough demographic where I feel like we can belong there and be successful."

W. Valley misconceptions

Residents of other metro Phoenix cities might have misconceptions of the West Valley as a poor country cousin in terms of retail, Sotolov said, but results prove otherwise.

High-end retailers Coach Inc., and Michael Kors are two of the most successful stores at Tanger Outlets Westgate, he said. Westgate's Yard House, which charges in the mid- to upper-price range, is one of the top producers in all of the national chain's restaurants, Sotolov noted.

Along with jobs, some of the region's once-stalled master-planned communities, such as Greer Ranch in Surprise and Vistancia in Peoria, are expanding.

"There's no doubt that jobs are coming and the rooftops are coming," Sotolov said. "It really is the recipe for retailers. They are starting to realize that this is the time. It's happening and it's positive."

Good news remains relative. The big malls might not be built for years, although retail experts attribute the delay in mall building as much to changing dynamics in online shopping as to the down economy.

Cities now look to shopping power centers that are smaller than traditional malls but still draw many customers. The trendy Oregano's, for instance, will open in the Market at Estrella Falls, the power center surrounding the mall site near Loop 303 and Interstate 10.

Peoria booming

Peoria city development officials are working with developer Peoria Sports Park LLC to build an outdoor shopping mall similar in concept to the Scottsdale Quarter near the Peoria Sports Complex. Called Avenue Shoppes at P83, the pedestrian-oriented mall will include a hotel, stores, restaurants and an entertainment venue. City officials signed a development agreement with Peoria Sports Park in March.

"This is where we are putting our energies and our resources," said Paul Zampini, Peoria's economic development coordinator. "It is a real project."

The city's existing power centers also are doing well.

Sprouts, a popular market, will open in the spring at the Lake Pleasant Towne Center.

Zampini noted that the city has 50,000 new homes either built, in the permit stage or in the construction process, bringing more potential shoppers to the area.

"We're seeing a lot of activity in the retail area and all those shopping centers up north are thriving, in part because there has been a huge explosion in housing," he said.